Document Type : Research
Authors
1
Ph.D. Student of Sociology, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran
2
Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran
Abstract
Social hope is a key factor underpinning the sustainability of social cohesion and civic participation. The present study aims to identify factors affecting social hope in Ilam and presents a conceptual model for its explanation. The research method was descriptive-correlational, and the data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, which included five components: economic, political, social, environmental, and family, from 259 people in Ilam who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and PLS software. The results suggested that the conceptual model of study displayed adequate statistical fit (RMSEA=0.04, GFI=0.93), and that all independent variables had a positive and significant effect on social hope, although the intensity of these effects varied. Path analysis showed that social factors, having the highest effect coefficient (γ=0.28), are the most significant predictors of social hope, followed by the economic (γ=0.22), family (γ=0.21), environmental (γ=0.19) and political (γ=0.15) factors, respectively. These factors were all significant at the level of 0.001. The findings suggest that social hope in the study population is primarily driven by social networks, family relationships, and lived economic experiences rather than by political trust or formal institutions. The results indicate that social hope is a multidimensional factor arising from the interaction of micro, meso, and macro factors, and that the deterioration of formal institutions can move sources of hope to non-institutional domains. Therefore, rebuilding social hope requires multi-layered policies in the economic, social, environmental, and institutional spheres, as well as the strengthening social capital, distributive justice, and public trust.
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